Mediator
by Dream Writer 4 Life
Summary: Vaughn’s thoughts during the briefing and debriefing for the Mexico City mission. 3.03 "Reunion" spoilers ahead. A Dream Writer Experience.


**Title:** Mediator  
**Author:** Dream Writer 4 Life  
**Genre:** Hangst — Humour Angst  
**Rating:** PG for language…maybe even G  
**Archived:** SD-1, here, and Cover Me  
**'Shippers' Paradise:** Meh. A little S/V, a little V/L...  
**Spoilers/Timeline:** through 3.03 "Reunion"  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Period. End of Story. No wait it's not! Keep reading!  
**Summary:** Vaughn's thoughts during the briefing and debriefing for the Mexico City mission. A Dream Writer Experience.

* * *

Mediator

Is this my role from now on? The mediator between my wife and my formerly dead ex-girlfriend?

First at the briefing before Syd's mission to Mexico, and now during the debriefing! Is this going to be some sort of pattern, some vicious, never-ending circle of torture, threats, and sharpened nails?

I feel like I'm on a bad episode of Jerry Springer.

During their First Episode, I was waiting for them to climb over the desks and just go at each other right there in the middle of the meeting. At first I sat back and allowed them to argue, prepared to let them have their say and be done with it. It would be an understatement to say that things hadn't exactly gone the way I planned. When Syd brought up SD-6, I knew things had gone too far. Yes, it was the last major even concerning the CIA that she could remember, but I knew she knew she was using it as leverage, using it to display the fact that, technically, she's been in my life longer than Lauren has. Or maybe even to point out that we were a good team in our day, whether it was as handler/asset, partners, or lovers.

Either way, it was obvious that Lauren knew that I knew that Syd knew that _we all_ knew the encrypted meanings in their words.

It was then that I had two options:

Put a stop to their verbal assaults.

Hide under the table and hope that one of them wouldn't upend it.

Obviously I opted for the first. And I'm still not quite sure that was the smartest idea. Maybe letting them have at it would have decreased the animosity in this, the debriefing, also known as Episode Number Two.

I see the looks they're throwing around, not only at each other, but at me as well. Lauren's checking my reactions to Syd's glances, and Syd's testing the affects Lauren's glares have on me. And I have no desire to be placed in the middle yet again. I feel as if I'm about to be pulled apart, ripped limb from limb, ventricle from ventricle, atrium from atrium. And slowly…oh…so…slowly…Just kill me now. Believe me, happiness will ensue. Or massive bloodshed, most of it probably being Lauren's; she was never really good at the martial arts, espionage, or lying. That's why she works for the NSC. Maybe I should look into that.

I hate this. I absolutely _hate, detest, loathe, despise, abhor_ this situation, this…being the mediator. Why couldn't Dixon or Jack or even Weiss have taken over this despicable job? I guess I can answer that myself: Dixon couldn't handle Sydney at SD-6, so he probably can't handle her now. Weiss…I don't know. We haven't been talking much lately. I don't know if that has to do with Sydney and Lauren or just the fact that neither of us has been keen on the whole company thing lately. And Jack…I really don't think he _wants_ to intervene on my behalf. If Lauren and Syd really do start goin' at it, he knows Lauren will probably come out the worse for wear. And so he's probably more inclined to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view while his daughter rips apart my wife both literally and figuratively, physically and mentally.

I'm the only one that can quell her, that can quench her fire.

I'm not supposed to have that job anymore.

Oh boy. I don't even have to look at them to know their eyes are on me. Lauren's are spiteful, almost hateful: she wants me to do something about Syd and her more than unfriendly glares. She wants me to make Syd go away so that we can return to that period in time when she was the only one working for the government, when we had no worries but what there was to do that weekend. I'm not sure I want to.

Syd's gaze is a different story. While I know she's more than aware of Lauren and her hostility, I don't believe that is fazing her in the slightest. Syd's gaze is that of longing, of wanting — _needing _— what she cannot have. She doesn't care who knows; her mental state of health and love life have been public knowledge and up for their scrutiny since she came back, so what's it to the five people closest to the epicentre?

You know, I think I preferred the roving, passing glances from before to these hard, steady, blatant stares that I'm experiencing now. I could stand it if only Syd would just water down her emotions so that this horrible guilt can edge off to a numb gnawing and I can actually look at my wife without thinking about _her_ instead—

Wait a second.

Did Dixon just say that Syd and I are going on a mission? _Together? WITH LAUREN?!_

Oh, this ought to be fun.

**_END_**


End file.
